As I’ve said before, I’m working on a brand launch right now. We’re being tasked with coming up with the messaging, accompanying visuals and branding and some tactics for executing these. We had a creative review of sorts that involved the client last week. Afterwards, it was rather obvious that we weren’t very close to […]

I have a friend who is a media planner at a big-ass ad agency just like the one that I am at. However, unlike me, she is utterly devoted to her company and for some reason thinks that it is the Harvard of ad agencies. “I’m very focused on my career,” is what she tells […]

The company I work for has apparently purchased interactive shop ZAAZ in order to beef up their interactive and analytics capabilities. This is exciting. I regularly read Jason Burby and Shane Atchison’s analytics columns in ClickZ.

My title is so low on the totem pole that I’ve decided that it should be omitted from my e-mail signature line. I’ve recently been given some responsibilities acting as liasons to other agencies and my contacts at these other agencies have long titles. How can I command any authority with a rinky dinky title […]

If you’ve worked at an ad agency, you most likely have seen people running from one place to another because of some urgency. Well, I never run to catch a train, and I certainly am not willing to break out a sweat just because someone wants something done quickly.

I’m working on an acquisition e-mail project, which let me say is extremely small on my client’s radar. He really barely gives a damn about this thing. Anyway, just before I send it to my client, this internal strategy department guy decides that he needs to take a look at it. He requests 2 minor […]

You can more or less guess what everyone’s level in the hierarchy is at this place by their age. The AEs are all the same age, the Account sups are all the same age, there isn’t a VP under 40 and the SVPs are 45+. That infers that one’s level of responsibility is tied to […]

We’re planning a pretty big campaign for my client. The only people on the agency side who have client contact on this project so far are several layers above me. They want to create “a big splash” around a particular announcement. It will be centered in New York City.

We get into a brainstorming to talk […]

I’ve found this to be true at other large agencies as well, but because of the hierarchical structure, you end up with a lot of people with inflated egos who want a say in everything. However, it’s impossible to get projects moving if you have to wait to get feedback from every single person.
I’ve been […]

Usually, what drives people to get disgruntled at work leading to job searching are one of the following things - too much work, a boss who you don’t see eye-to-eye with or a client who drives you crazy.
However, at this point for me, there’s only one thing that makes me not want to come to […]